Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
You would like to reduce your working hours in order to study part time.
Write a letter to your boss. In your letter
- explain why you want to reduce your working hours
- say which hours you would like to work
- describe how your part-time studies would benefit your employer
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ....................................,
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Dear boss,
It’s Gurpreet singh, a direct store delivery associate of your organization. The main motive of writing this mail is that I choosed to study further for bba courses which I have to left due to lack of funds. As I had completed my half studies but now I want to complete this bba degree as i think this is the best time to move further. I understand that you don’t have any other employee to train in this department and I request you if possible hire someone as soon as possible since from the next month I will be a part time worker so I have a month to train them as per the requirements of your company.
The reason to choose this degree is that this will help me in my management positions as well as it support your organization to choose or perform well in any circumstances as all the courses I want to complete is align with business environment.
Thanks you a lot to understand me and please let me know if any concern.
Your employee,
Gurpreet singh.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt, albeit with some uneven development. The candidate successfully explains the reason for reducing working hours (to resume a BBA degree previously left due to financial constraints) and briefly addresses the benefit to the employer (gaining management knowledge that will support the organisation and align with business environments). However, the second bullet point regarding which specific hours the candidate would like to work is handled rather vaguely by only mentioning becoming a 'part time worker' and having a month to train a replacement, without specifying exact working days or hours. Despite this omission, the task is addressed sufficiently for a passing grade, reflecting a Band 5.5 performance overall.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The letter lacks proper paragraphing, as the main body is condensed into a single dense block of text, making the progression of ideas harder to follow. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes repetitive or misused, such as 'As I had completed my half studies but now I want to complete this bba degree'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the overall structural arrangement lacks the standard formal letter layout and clear transitions between ideas. However, the progression of the narrative is still mostly understandable from beginning to end, warranting a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, such as 'complete this bba degree', 'move further', and 'training department'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'I choosed to study further', 'left due to lack of funds' (instead of stopped or left due to financial reasons), and 'i think this is the best time to move further'. While the lexical range is sufficient to convey the basic message about wanting to study part-time, these persistent errors and limited flexibility place this response firmly in the Band 5.0 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures frequently contain grammatical errors. Examples include 'It’s Gurpreet singh, a direct store delivery associate' (capitalisation and punctuation issues), 'all the courses I want to complete is align with business environment' (subject-verb agreement and tense errors), and 'Thanks you a lot to understand me' (ungrammatical phrasing). Frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization, and verb forms cause some distraction and occasional difficulty for the reader, aligning with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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